Students’ Opinions on the Use of Virtual Museums in Science Teaching

Abstract

This study aims to present secondary school students’ opinions on a science learning process supported by virtual museum activities. The study was conducted with 29 5th grade students studying at a public school during the academic year 2021-2022. During the study, the science lessons were enriched with virtual museum activities in addition to the activities presented in line with the curriculum and the content of the textbook. As the virtual environment, researchers used the virtual museum of Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in the USA. After the lessons, semi-structured interviews were held to identify the participants’ opinions on the virtual museum activity. It was observed that all the students had a positive impression and were satisfied with the process even though they addressed the virtual museum experience from different aspects. The students stated that they enjoyed both seeing the remains of creatures that lived in the past and getting information about the creatures they were familiar with. In addition, it was observed that they felt as if they had made a physical visit to the museum and related their learning with the achievements of the course. In the light of the findings, it is thought that virtual museums can be given more place in science lessons.